Frances Figler Obituary

Frances Figler

Born: Oct.28, 2014

Died: Aug. 26, 1923

Frances Figler, a longtime resident of LaGrange Park, passed away peacefully October 28, 2014, after a brief illness. She was 91. Frances spent the last few years of her life in an assisted living facility in Mountainside, New Jersey, near her daughter's home.

Born August 26, 1923, Frances grew up in Park River, North Dakota. Her mother was Rose Flynn (nee Bena); her father was Frank Henry Flynn. She was the eldest of three children, all of whom settled in the Chicago area after high school: her sister, Helen Flynn Ramberg of Hazel Crest and her brother, Frank Joseph Flynn, of Flossmor. Frances excelled in school, particularly in writing, and her senior year was editor of the school newspaper. Yearning for adventure, Frances was the first in her immediate family to move to Chicago from North Dakota.

Frances found the greatest professional satisfaction in her position as a copywriter for Montgomery Ward and Company, where she helped write and produce the china and glass section of the Montgomery Ward catalog. She had worked her way into an executive position when she met Ted A. Figler, a Chicago native, whom she married in 1952. They moved to LaGrange in the late 1950's, where they raised a family and lived for over thirty years. In addition to being a devoted mother of two, Frances enjoyed exercise classes at the LaGrange YMCA and playing golf at Edgewood Valley Country Club. Frances was a regular blood donor at Community Memorial, achieving 40-Gallon Donor status. She loved living in LaGrange Park and felt especially connected to her neighbors, whom she counted as her some of her dearest friends.

Mrs. Figler is survived by her children, Carol Figler Gordon of Summit, New Jersey, and her son, Ted and his wife Elizabeth of Duxbury, Massachusetts. She was a loving grandmother of Julian and Keller Gordon and of William, Henry and Charles Figler. She is also survived by two nieces, seven nephews and their children, some of whom referred to Frances as "Grantie."

Frances was preceded in death by her husband, Ted Figler, who passed away in May, 1994; her sister, Helen Ramberg ;and brother, Frank Flynn.

Services will be held at St. Mark's Church in Glen Ellyn on Sunday, November 9, at 4:00 p.m., followed by a reception from 5:00 to 6:30 at the church. Interment will follow in a private ceremony on Monday at Queen of Heaven cemetery in Hillside.